Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Loss Of Smell From Covid May Be Tied To 'Subtle Brain Damage,' Study Finds
A new study of 73 adults recovering from COVID-19 finds that those who lost their sense of smell showed behavioral, functional, and structural brain changes. The results were published late last week in Scientific Reports. (Van Beusekom, 8/19)
ÂÂRead the study —
In updates on the spread of mpox —
A World Health Organization official stressed on Tuesday that mpox, regardless of whether it is the new or old strain, is not the new COVID, as authorities know how to control its spread. "We can and must tackle mpox together," said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, in a media briefing. (8/20)
One case of the mpox virus has been detected in Pakistan of the clade 2 variety, the country's ministry of health said on Monday, adding that no cases of the clade 1b strain of the disease have been diagnosed. Clade 1b has triggered global concern because it seems to spread more easily though routine close contact. (8/19)
Emergent BioSolutions said on Monday it would donate 50,000 doses of its smallpox vaccine to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other impacted countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda to address the current mpox outbreak. Emergent's ACAM2000 vaccine, approved for smallpox, has been used as an mpox shot but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is yet to approve its application for use against the virus. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ACAM2000, a live, replicating virus vaccine, has more known side effects and risks than Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic A/S's Jynneos vaccine, which is approved in the U.S. for both smallpox and mpox. (8/19)
The Democratic Republic of Congo may receive Mpox vaccines from the US as soon as next week, Health Minister Roger Kamba said. The central African nation has asked the US and Japan to send vaccines to help stem an outbreak that has so far infected more than 16,700 people and caused 570 deaths, he said. (Kavanagh, 8/20)
After the World Health Organization this week warned that a fast-spreading strain of mpox poses a global threat, Denmark again has a potential solution and underscored its capacity to outshine traditional powerhouses in the US and the UK. From treatments for diabetes to depression, the Nordic nation of 6 million people has punched above its weight with its prowess in pharmaceuticals, and Bavarian Nordic A/S’s mpox vaccine — the only regulator-approved inoculation for the deadly virus — serves as the latest milestone. (Sjolin, 8/16)
